What's Happening: Your 10-day forecast

Friday

Jul 12, 2019 at 8:12 AMJul 12, 2019 at 8:12 AM

Entertainment ideas for the near future.

TODAY

A BLAST FROM THE PAST: Tonight’s edition of the “Free Fridays” concert series, set for 8 to 10 p.m. at Bo Diddley Plaza, will feature a show titled “The Summer of ’69: Fifty Years On.” The free concert series highlights a different act each week. Attendees are encouraged to bring their blankets and lawn chairs to the downtown amphitheater to enjoy the concert under the stars. The show will cover popular hits of 1969 such as “Bad Moon Rising,” “Honkey Tonk Women,” “Age of Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In” and more. According to Tran “The Piano Man” Whitley, who created the show, “Back at the dawning of the ‘Age of Aquarius’ a funny thing was happening: Some of the best music of my life was being created and performed. ... My show is designed to highlight the best of those songs and revisit the tone and tenor of a magical moment in time, 1969.” Joining Whitley will be John Sterling Lodge on keyboards and vocals, George Gomez on acoustic guitar and vocals, Rickylee Brawner on lead guitar and Lavelle Whitfield on percussion. “If you’re an aging hippie seeking nostalgia, an inquisitive millennial wondering what the Woodstock fuss was, or a young music lover filling in some blanks, it’s all wrapped up in 120 minutes of fun,” Whitley said. Bo Diddley Plaza is located at 111 E. University Ave. For more information, including a list of upcoming performances, visit gnvculturalseries.org/free-fridays-concert-series.

TODAY THROUGH JULY 21

LEGENDARY MUSICAL: Get ready for an awe-inspiring performance as the Hippodrome Theatre takes on the electrifying true story of the night that brought together rock ’n’ roll legends Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins and Elvis Presley for an impromptu jam session in 1956. The Tony Award-winning musical “Million Dollar Quartet” brings the singers’ early careers to life as actors portraying them sing their hearts out and tell their stories of loyalty and betrayal. With live performances of classic hits including “Great Balls of Fire,” “I Walk the Line,” “Fever” and more, this show is foot-tapping fun for all ages. Catch a showing at 7 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays, 8 p.m. Fridays, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays through July 21 at the Hippodrome Theatre, 25 SE Second Place. Tickets cost $37 for general admission, $25 for seniors and patrons younger than 30, and $15 for youths in grades K-12. For more information, or to purchase tickets, visit thehipp.org or call 375-4477.

TODAY THROUGH AUG. 4

HERE WE GO AGAIN!: Get ready to enjoy the beloved songs of the hit-making group ABBA during the Gainesville Community Playhouse’s production of “Mama Mia!” The show opens Friday and runs at 8 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays, and 2 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays through Aug. 4. This sunny and funny tale unfolds in the days leading up to a wedding on a Greek Island. On the eve of her marriage, a young woman’s quest to discover the identity of her father brings three men from her mother’s past in this enchanting tale of love, laughter and friendship. Vam York Theater is located at 4039 NW 16th Blvd. Tickets cost $22 for general admission, $18 for seniors ages 60 and older, and $12 for children and students with ID. For more information, visit gcplayhouse.org.

TODAY THROUGH JAN. 5, 2020

GET WILD!: The Florida Museum of Natural History is showcasing a wild exhibit that features both fossils and live animals with “Crocs: Ancient Predators in a Modern World,” which will continue through Jan. 5, 2020. Visitors can test their strength against a crocodile’s bite, learn to speak “croc” and make the water dance like alligators. An interactive map will showcase where crocodilians live around the world, and a mini-theater will play videos documenting conservationists’ efforts to save these creatures in the wild. Visitors can step into the shoes of a paleo-artist and create a 3-D animation of an extinct crocodilian, as well as view the skull of one of the University of Florida’s last live mascots. The exhibit is set up to educate guests about crocodilian diversity with model dioramas of four different crocodilian species — including a life-size model of the saltwater crocodile Gomek, the largest crocodile ever exhibited in North America. The Florida Museum of Natural History is located at 3215 Hull Road on the University of Florida campus. Entrance to the exhibit is $8 for adults; $7 for Florida residents, seniors and college students; $5.50 for ages 3-17; and free to museum members and UF students with a valid Gator 1 card. For more information, call 846-2000.

JULY 13

STOP CANCER, SEE COOL CARS: The Gainesville Street Rods will hold its monthly cruise-in from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Saturday at the Springhill Publix, located off of Northwest 39th Avenue by Interstate 75. The event, which is free to the public, will host a variety of cars, trucks, motorcycles and specialty vehicles. Vehicle registration for participants is $5, and participation is open to all makes and models of legal, street-driven vehicles. All spectators and registered vehicle owners will be able to take part in a “50/50” raffle — and a DJ will be on hand spinning music. Proceeds from the event will go to the Gainesville “Stop Children’s Cancer” foundation, a 501(C)3 organization whose goal is the prevention, control and cure of cancer in children through the funding of pediatric cancer research. For more information, call 658-1477 or visit gainevillestreetrods.com.

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